The not-so-empty
nest
Some students have found themselves
back home after graduation while they
search for rent-paying jobs
By Christina Diss * Freelance Reporter
When Lori Fulton
moved back home
after her first year of
college, her parents enforced
her high school curfew of
midnight and watched her
every move.
"It was hell," Fulton, 24,
said. "I was expected to simply
go to work and then come
straight home."
After graduation when she
moved to her home in Burns,
she said she had an over
whelming feeling of failure.
"Coming from a small
town, everyone knew I had
moved back home after
school," she said. "It was as if
the whole town thought I did
n't succeed in college because
I was back home."
Like other college students,
Fulton's economic factors left
her no choice but to move
home. Even though hiring?
new graduates is up 11.2 per
cent from last year according
to the National Association of
Colleges and Employers,
many graduates are still hav
ing difficulty finding a steady
source of income.
Senior comparative literature
and journalism major Lisa
Freeman, 22, said she has
failed to find a job or intern
ship in the entertainment and
event management fields in the
Northwest. After graduation
this spring she plans to move
back home with her family in
Vancouver, Wash.
"I don't have a problem
moving back home because it
is purely for economical
reasons, and I really don't have
any major problems with my
family," Freeman said.
Freeman said her parents
were not surprised she was
moving home because they
know how difficult the job
market has been in her field.
"1 don't have to pay any type
of rent as long as I am search
ing for a job," she said.
Freeman said she does not
dread moving back home be
cause she is confident her par
ents will no longer place the
rules and restrictions on her
that she had in high school.
"As long as I am letting them
know when 1 am going out, my
parents allow me to do pretty
much anything," she said.
Elizabeth Holloway, 23,
moved home to Lake Oswego
after graduating this winter
with a degree in architecture
from the University.
Though Holloway briefly
thought about graduate school
or joining the Jesuit Volunteer
Corps, "Finding a job was my
first priority," she said.
Holloway did not intensely
search for a job while still in
school because she was busy
finishing her degree. She
planned on moving back
home for a few months while
in college so she could search
for a job.
Holloway has yet to find a
job, which will inevitably pro
long her stay at home, she said.
"As a woman in a mainly
male-dominated profession, I
feel like some firms are more
reluctant to hire me than my
male peers who have had lit
tle difficulty finding a job,"
she said.
Though 1 lolloway is hopeful
of moving out after saving
some money from her first few
paychecks, she has enjoyed her
time back at home.
"1 really missed my mom's
cooking," she said. "1 make
dinner and do laundry so I
feel like 1 am helping out
somehow."
Holloway said the worst part
of living at home is being
bored.
"I am not really able to have
my friends or boyfriend over
late at night because of my par
ent's schedule," she said.
Holloway's mother some
what expected her daughter to
, move home after graduation.
"1 thought she would move
home temporarily until she
was able to find a job and save
up some money/ Arm Hol
loway said.
Ann Holloway has enjoyed
having her daughter back at
home.
"Though I loved being an
empty nester because it was
quieter and simpler, it has
been nice to have Elizabeth
help out with things around
the house," she said. "As long
as she continues to .help
around the house and look for
a job, I am more than willing
to let my daughter live here
without paying rent."
Christina Diss is a freelance
reporter for the Emerald.
Itudents have different personalities;
thankfully, so do neighborhoods
By Sarah Kai Acker • Freelance Reporter
The University is nestled
amid several types of
neighborhoods, so find
ing an area in Eugene compati
ble with personal tastes and
needs could be easier than
finding a compatible room
mate. The following is a brief
tour of the area.
Downtown
Downtown is choice for ur
banites accustomed to more
expensive housing and park
ing. The neighborhood boasts
dozens of bars and restau
rants, as well as playing host to
a bustling twice-weekly mod
ern-day agora where folks can
purchase tie-dyed underwear,
exchange gardening tips, taste
the many local flavors and
support Eugene-based cottage
industries. Saturday Market
and Farmer's Market are held
nearby throughout the sum
mer season.
Most of the housing is in
apartment buildings annexed
with a small patio or balcony.
"I love living downtown,"
education major Jennifer
Liggett said. "I can walk
almost anywhere — especial
ly the bars. And I prefer living
around professionals instead
of other students."
Luckey's, Joe's Bar and Grill,
The Jungle and The Horse
head are just a few of the
many bars and restaurants lo
cated downtown. Most bars
have themed nights, which in
clude hip-hop, '80s metal, jazz
and jam.
*1 lov* living downtown...
I can walk almott
anywhere — especially
the bars. And I
prefer living around
professionals Instead
of other students."
Jennifer Liggett
Education major
The Eugene bus station,
public library and central post
office are located downtown,
along with art galleries, music
venues, clothing boutiques
and grocery stories. For peo
ple who thrive on the pulse of
the city, downtown is a good
place to call home.
Whltoaktr
Whiteaker residents reap
the rewards of fairly cheap
rent and a diverse neighbor
hood. A stroll through the
neighborhood reveals com
munity gardens, intricate tree
houses, backyards crammed
with solar panels, murals and
vibrant colors.
Whiteaker also has ethnic
restaurants galore, most no
tably a variety of Mexican op
tions and a Thai restaurant.
Sam Bond's Garage and the
Tiny Tavern are cornerstones of
the Eugene music scene, and
the Red Barn provides a thor
ough selection and moderate
pricing for a smaller natural
foods store.
The Willamette River bor
ders this neighborhood from
the north, providing a tranquil
respite for the city-weary.
"The Whiteaker is more cul
turally diverse than other Eugene
neighborhoods," Spanish major
Jonathan Bilenki said.
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